Share this:

Like this:

My trip to the Farmer’s Market this week made me SEE RED! It really was completely unintentional. I didn’t walk around and look for RED FOOD. I didn’t scorn the beautiful yellow plums or the plump purple concord grapes. I just found myself subliminally attracted to the variety of beautiful vermillion selections that popped out everywhere I looked.

It started when I spotted the lovely red butter lettuce SKYPHOS. We have grown this lettuce on the farm for many seasons, and it has been a favorite of the chefs consistently. It has a very mild flavor, but also it has some “tooth”. It holds up to the bite and doesn’t collapse under the dressing. It is better than ANY RED LEAF LETTUCE you will ever find at the grocery. I promise.

This head of lettuce invited me to mentally celebrate the salad I was going to make as I made my way from farmer to farmer at the market. I took note of a small, heirloom watermelon and had to ask – what type of melon is this? “A pink heirloom variety” was the answer, and as quick as you can say seed spitting contest, it became a part of the salad in my head.

Is this a summer salad or a winter salad? It’s and END OF SUMMER salad, and so there aren’t any rules that say you cannot mix beets and watermelon. After all, they are both in season, as crazy as that sounds!

The beets were steamed to soften and then a rough uneven cut made perfect salad toppings of this root specimen seasonal crossover.

Shaved so thinly you can see through the porous cells of the red onion, a very nice flavor boost is provided by this addition to the salad. The familiarity and subtle bite of sweet red onion is a great compliment to the sweetness of the berries and the earthiness of the steamed red beets.

The “dressing” for my RED SALAD is a simple drizzle of fresh squeezed blood orange juice and walnut oil (or olive oil is great, too). I used some chopped shallot and a bit of dijon mustard to add some complexity to it, and seasoned with fresh ground pepper and sea salt.

Our Scarlet Salad from the Farmer’s Market this week was a real celebration of simplicity and seasonal satisfaction. It was the perfect compliment to our grilled fresh fish – Wahoo Filets from the fish monger. A perfect Saturday evening meal.

v

Share this:

Like this:

September 5, 2014 / Comments Off on Spaghetti Squash Topped with Egg and Roasted Veggies

I have decided to deem a new season… it’s the 5th season actually. I’m going to call it END-OF-SUMMER! As a farmer, you can’t imagine what it’s like! You are in the halcyon days of the spring and added to that, it’s fall veggie season, too! It’s called End of Summer. Put it on your calendar!

These beautiful summer garden specimens, like padron peppers, green zebra tomatoes and other heirloom varieties, became a lovely weeknight supper in a hurry by simply roasting in the hot oven with a little olive oil and salt, then adding to this beautiful fall champion….

DRUM ROLL…..SPAGHETTI SQUASH!!

Please, someone tell me why, these seemingly WINTER VEGETABLES, like spaghetti squash, for example, worked SO WELL with the true summer heavy hitters like peppers and tomatoes? It surprises me every time I put them together. I know, however, that at the END-OF-SUMMER, our tastebuds are ready to teeter totter on the edge of the chasm, knowing that falling either way will be a fabulous fall, and that falling both ways is even better.

so, I am ready for the future, but not quite willing to let go of the past, and therefore have decided to wallow in the present. I LOVE END-OF-SUMMER!

And so, in a bit of a hurry for a weeknight meal, I decided to throw all my ideas in the oven at once while I threw down a few yoga poses in the living room, adding fresh sage to the mix to push myself a little bit more into the END-OF-SUMMER mode.

After about 45 minutes, the sage leaves became crisp and smoky, the summer vegetables sultry and forbidden, and the roast chicken, well since it’s a farm chicken, it’s texture and flavor were perfectly satisfying with the crispy, sage infused skin. It is such pleasure to see the parts of this meal come out of their cooking cloak and onto the plate. Such ease.

Simply cutting in half the roasted spaghetti squash, removing the seeds, and then scraping the stringy flesh out of the skin with a fork, with just two more simple steps you have a complete, albeit simple, dinner . Number 1 – add the roasted vegetables and sage to the spaghetti squash and 2) stir in a few turns of the cheese grater of parmigianno reggiano cheese! Season with s & p, of course.

VOILA! END-OF-SUMMER supper in no time! All seasonal, all farm fresh, all delicious.

And…there’s more!

Breakfast the next morning! Economize, right?

I hope you will try this and any other combination of things on either side of the season that you can think of! Share your ideas with us, too, please!

Check out what I mean about this END-OF-SUMMER bountiful season! Here are a few actual photos from my past week at farm and farm markets! It’s really abundant and really a blessing to have this season – End-of- Summer – to appreciate and enjoy.

Share this:

Like this:

August 25, 2014 / Comments Off on News from the farm…the kitchen… and the community!

Do you recognize this lovely spot? It’s the Pole Barn at Thornhill Farm, where so many great gatherings and purposeful events have taken place over the last seven years. Well, don’t say goodbye just yet! Say HELLO to the possibility that we may continue to see Thornhill Farm thrive into our future as a working farm through a public partnership between the East Cooper Land Trust and a to be announced working partner, soon!

These little peeps are growing up now on the pastures at the farm for us for Thanksgiving! It has been awesome to watch their behavior develop SO EARLY and realize the wonder of this beautiful heritage breed. According to the Livestock Conservancy, this is the “original American Thanksgiving Turkey”, as it was a cross between the domestic turkeys brought from Europe and the wild turkeys of the new world. They grow a bit slower and are stronger and more flavorful, certainly.

This is the grown-up version. It’s hard to believe they go from the previous pictures taken in July to the full-grown bird, ready for Thanksgiving by mid-November.

You can put a deposit on your Thanksgiving Turkey for this year on our website.

I’m spending my inspirational time in the kitchen these days (when I have to be away from the farm) with my camera and my farm loot, trying to develop the skills to inspire further this connection to farm fresh food that is so important to me.

so…. that turned into this….

… a yummy farro salad with roasted summer vegetables and goat cheese.

Thank you for indulging me. If you, or someone you know, would like to have this recipe, and/or sign-up to get my recipe blog sent to you as it is published, please go to the website now and input your email address there.

Share this:

Like this:

Enjoy this simple summer supper, Brick Chicken with Summer Succotash, but first let’s talk about my husband’s BACON PRESS! Do you have a bacon press?? If not, it’s ok. Please don’t even allow the slightest inferiority complex over this question, because, as a matter of fact, my husband is one of the few lucky individuals I know who can answer yes to this question. AND I can tell you that is because I gave it to myself for his birthday one year that he even has one! Brick Chicken is one of those dishes that is so good because of one simple added element to the cooking process. Placing weight on the chicken as it cooks, skin side down, crisps the outside skin and sears in the juices and flavors. It cooks quickly, too, because the weight (whether it is a bacon press or a brick covered in foil), gets hot and provides heat from the top as well as the heat from the grill or cast iron skillet on the bottom. This preparation is the perfect accompaniment to a summer succotash. The combination of a medley of seasonal vegetables like field peas (which are actually beans!!), corn and tomatoes responds beautifully to a grilled brick chicken! The process begins with removing the backbone of the chicken and cutting it in half, longitudinally. I also am fond of quarter of chicken cooked under a brick, and so you may decide to cook a leg and thigh quarter or a breast quarter. The next step is to dry rub the meat with some olive oil and “air dry” in the refrigerator for a little while. This will allow the flavors of your herbs to be infused into the chicken (if you want, you can slip some fresh herbs into the space between the skin and the flesh to increase this flavor transfer). Air drying also helps to get the skin extra crispy during the cooking process.

Using a cast iron skillet or placing it on the grill, either way, it should go on a pre-heated pan/grill surface SKIN SIDE DOWN first. The skin will crisp up beautifully in no time!

While the chicken cooks, (taking no longer that 30 minutes!), the veggies for the succotash are all ready to go. A simple summer succotash should be prepared al-dente, or with some tooth to the veggies, so total cooking time should be no more than 15 minutes. Simply start the diced onion in the pan in a bit of olive oil to soften for a few minutes, then add the field peas.

The field peas will need some liquid to become tender, so I add a bit of chicken stock and let them simmer for 10 minutes.

Test the peas for that al dente doneness, then add the remaining vegetables and continue to simmer for about five minutes.

Finish the succotash with your favorite summer herbs, chopped coarsely (I prefer genovese basil), and a small dollop of butter (really small – this is for silkiness and flavor so you only need to add about half a tablespoon!) then adjust the seasonings of salt and pepper! The plating of the dish is so beautiful! The succotash, topped with the crispy skinned chicken, puts some serious flavor on the table. The juice of the chicken will add to the flavorful succotash as it placed on top, and all will be well with the world for a moment as you dive in and enjoy this simple summer supper!

The recipe can be found on the website here, and the pastured chicken can be purchased as part of our Stillwater Farm Variety Meat Package. If you live close enough, the shipping is free!

Share this:

Like this:

Nothing says summer like okra in the south! Turn up the heat a little more with a delicious Gumbo and satiate your senses with this summer stew that says HELLO to your tastebuds!

I LOVE a slow simmer in the summer, don’t you? After visiting the Farmer’s Market this week, I knew there was a Gumbo in my future!

One of my favorite and also one of the VERY FIRST TV personalities is naturally who I turned to when I thought about preparing my first summer stew.

And with so much to choose from at the market, I must admit I took a slight detour from the traditional with a few additional seasonal selections….why not?

It all starts with high heat to the cast iron skillet and you will bring those beautiful ingredients to life!

and then there is the shrimp stock. DON’T BE AFRAID!! Shrimp stock is so easy and a thing of beauty, don’t you agree?

What happens next is so seductive! Chef Paul Prudhomme instructs to add the stock a little at a time, allowing the stock and the okra (you know how it has that texture once it is cut?) to combine into a sublime silkiness!

This summer stew is a savory sensation that cooks up quickly and improves in the refrigerator so perfect for leftovers. Serve over cooked hot rice for a completely satisfying seasonal meal.

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 8

Ingredients

6 cup Okra

4 cup Heirloom Tomatoes

2 cup Sweet Southern Vidalia Onion

2 cup Assorted Mild Chilis - Poblano or Pasilla

3 cup Red Bliss and Fingerling Potatoes

6 cup Shrimp Stock

1 lb Chorizo

2 lb Medium Shrimp

½ teaspoon salt

1 + 1 teaspoon white pepper

1 + 1 teaspoon red pepper

¼ cup Lard or Olive Oil

¼ cup Unsalted Butter

1 tablespoon Fresh Garlic

4 cup Cooked Rice

Instructions

Prepare all ingredients for cooking by washing, dicing and chopping.

Heat the olive oil or lard in a cast iron dutch oven type skillet until almost smoking.

Add half the okra and sear for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allowing the okra to brown nicely will add texture and flavor to the dish.

Add 1 tsp of white pepper and 1 tsp of red pepper, the onions, peppers, potatoes, garlic and chorizo to the okra and continue to brown and sear for about 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the skillet occasionally.

Add two more cups of shrimp stock and allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Add half the chopped tomatoes and stir, then add remaining shrimp stock to the pot. Add the second teaspoons of white and red pepper and salt and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes.

Add the butter and all to simmer until butter is melted. Stir to incorporate.

Add remaining okra and tomatoes and shrimp. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Dish will be perfectly cooked with some texture and succulent and tender shrimp.

Serve over cooked rice, and don't forget to put the hot sauce on the table for those crazy heat lovers!

3.5.3208

On the farm this week, we enjoyed the arrival of your heritage Bronze Breasted Turkeys! Believe it or not, my grandparents raised these same turkeys in the 1930’s on the farm in Old Fort, NC!! Pastured poultry was normal back then…